


Sotto i limoni e le stelle

by JuliaBaggins



Category: Eurovision Song Contest RPF, Festival di Sanremo RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, First Meetings, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, the opposite of slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-02 21:59:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18819853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuliaBaggins/pseuds/JuliaBaggins
Summary: Fabrizio is the owner of a store for fruits in Rome and goes to visit a lemon farm looking for a potential new business partner. And what he finds might be so much more than that...





	Sotto i limoni e le stelle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WillEvince](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillEvince/gifts).



> I'm posting this story with the dearest birthday hugs towards my friend Rūta - I hope you'll have an awesome day, and that you might enjoy this little piece of sweetness and an Italian summer, before soon moving there yourself. Tvb ❤️

When Fabrizio Mobrici stepped out of the cooled down train into a bright summer day, for a moment, all thoughts of business, meetings and plans vanished from his head. He just stood there, at the little train station somewhere in the middle of the countryside, and breathed – felt the warmth of a bright summer sun kissing his skin, heard the silence interrupted by nothing but a few insects, such a contrast to the symphony of the city’s noises he was used to, and smelled something in the air. Something rich, something sweet, something that was just _summer_ , and that reminded him of months spent at his grandparents’ house in the country side, back when he was little and the world seemed easy.

With a bright smile on his face, Fabrizio walked around the train station, sized smaller than some bus stops in Rome, and looked around. He planned to visit a lemon farm today, a possible business partner for the future – a few years ago, Fabrizio had opened a little store for fruits and vegetables together with his friend Roberto in a little side street so far out of Rome that it barely could be called that anymore, and by now, they sold their products in the city center; their attention to the plants growing in an environment friendly way, as well as fair wages for the people working with the fruits, causing not only private people, but also a bunch of restaurants and hotels to take an interest. Their business had grown, and they were looking for new partners now, to be able to delight the people of Rome with more amazing fruits. And no matter how big their company got, Fabrizio always paid attention to know where his products came from, as well as to get to know the people behind them – when a child in his store picked up a bright red apple, he liked to talk about the apple trees growing in the shadow of the Alps and the old lady taking care of them; not because it was a nice story that he had made up so it could sound nice to possible clients, but because he actually did know her, knew the care with which she looked out for the apples, and because _he_ cared. And he hoped that today, he would be able to find a place providing them with lemons in the future, as well as some nice people who might fit into their business family.

His plan for the day actually had included taking a taxi towards the lemon farm, but now, there was none anywhere to be spotted. As well as no other cars, for that matter. Fabrizio fished his phone out of his pocket, ignoring the messages that had dropped in during his train journey, and opened Google, originally to search for the number of a local taxi company. But then, he had a different idea, one that he liked even more when a cool blow of wind ruffled through his hair, and so, he asked Google Maps for the shortest way towards the farm; looking up the address in the e-mail in which the farm’s boss had agreed to the meeting. And he asked for it by foot. It took the app a moment of consideration, the connection out here being a little shaky, but finally, it showed Fabrizio the way, one that seemed not too challenging as it didn’t contain any sharp turns, and a little over an hour to go, that also should work just fine, especially since they hadn’t agreed on a concrete time for his visit, just the day’s afternoon. And so, Fabrizio started walking; glad that he had decided on a rather informal outfit today: a white shirt with not all the buttons closed, comfortable jeans, trainers.

His way led Fabrizio through a little village at first, houses standing close to each other providing him with some welcome shade, sunburnt rooftops glistening against a light blue sky, not a person to be seen; then he walked along a dusty road, the flat endlessness of the far horizon an impressive sight, and after some more minutes, when Fabrizio just started to wonder if he might have lost his way at some point, he spotted a wooden sign. The name on it caused him to sigh in relief, because it seemed as if he finally had found his destination, or at least was close to it. Ignoring the starting ache in his legs, he followed the sign, walked up a little hill, and stopped, because what presented itself to his eyes now was a sight that asked the viewer to enjoy it. 

A little path curled itself down from the hill, towards a wooden house standing between the softly curled hills, and everywhere around, lemon trees were growing. From above, the summer sun illuminated the bright yellow fruits glistening out of the depths of dark green leaves, and every single one seemed like a little piece of the paradise that was this place. Fabrizio didn’t even notice the time ticking by, but what he realized for sure was how he instantly had fallen in love with this place that looked like straight from the cover of a magazine talking about a simpler life and the joys that could be found far away from everyday’s noisiness. 

 

Somewhere in the hills, a bird started to sing a song, just the perfect soundtrack to this atmosphere, and Fabrizio carefully walked down the path, around some of the older lemon trees, his curious fingers touching the deeply furrowed bark. Around halfway down the hill, he spotted a person, and just when he was about to open his mouth for a greeting, he stopped. And just watched. The man seemed to be young, younger than Fabrizio even, dark curls were sticking out from underneath a light hat protecting his rather pale skin from the burning sun, and his eyes were fixed in concentration at the tree in front of him; fingers gently inspecting a lemon. Something about this scene stopped Fabrizio from speaking up, he didn’t actually want the moment to end – didn’t want to have to stop watching fingers as elegant as those of a pianist holding the fruit as if it was made of the most precious porcelain. He didn’t want the spell of the man’s concentration to be broken, and at the same time, he wished he would look up. 

And a moment later, this was exactly what happened – the young man looked up, his eyes found Fabrizio’s, and he walked closer with a curious smile on his lips. After wiping his hand at his jeans, the young man extended his hand, which Fabrizio shook, and opened his mouth.

“Ciao.”

“Hi, my name is Fabri- ohh, is that a Joy Division shirt?”

The other man laughed, a pleasant sound to Fabrizio’s ears, and looked down at himself; sun-faded black fabric hugging his body, the band’s name written across his chest.

“Yes it is, do you like them?”

And so, Fabrizio found himself in a conversation about music with the other man, the two of them quickly discovering some common favourites. They sat down at the dusty ground with their backs to the tree, Fabrizio’s legs singing in joy once they didn’t have to carry his weight anymore, and he probably could have sat there all day, listening to an enthusiastic voice talking about songs he liked and giggling at Fabrizio’s pronunciation of U2, but once again, a moment that seemed to be perfect had to end.

“By the way, Fabri, what brings you here? Not that it isn’t a pleasant surprise to find someone with such a fine taste in music, but we don’t get visitors too often, and I hear from your dialect that you’re not from the area, so I’m curious.”

“You’re right, I’m from Rome actually, and I’m here to talk about a business deal; I've got a store that sells fruit juice and stuff the like, and I think a partnership with this farm might be benefitable for both sides.”

At Fabrizio’s words, realization settled in the face next to his, and chocolate dark eyes turned wide.

 

“You’re Mr. Mobrici, from Moro Fine Fruit Company? Damn, somehow I had expected someone more- no, please forget that, I’m an idiot. Sorry, how can I help you, Mr. Mobrici?”

“Please, there’s no need for this sudden formality. You’re welcome to call me Fabrizio”, he took a breath, “or Fabri, if you like that, I mean, I certainly didn’t mind.”

“Okay, Fabri it is then”, and the smile was back, to Fabrizio’s relief – he wouldn’t have liked it if the younger man got worried about his earlier light-heartedness proving a danger to the possibility of this business deal, or anything the like; and his smile was a rather nice sight.

“I’m looking for a Mr. Meta?”

“Must be your lucky day, you’ve already found one”, and then he laughed, before shaking his head, “Sorry, my name’s Meta, Ermal Meta, but you’re looking for my brother Rinald, he’s the boss here.”

“Oh”, Fabrizio said, scolding himself internally about the hint of disappointment he felt after the short moment in which he had thought this might be his new business partner, “So you’re working together with your brother, a family business?”

“Well, kind of? I mean, it is a family business, with my mom and sister, but I’m not working here, I’ve got a job in the city; I just sometimes come over at the weekends.”

“What do you do?”

“I work for a newspaper. Oh no, you don’t need to start with that face, as if this was all too interesting; I’m no fancy journalist, just doing some research”, and Ermal offered a half-mouthed smile.

“And do you like what you do?”, Fabrizio asked, because something in the eyes of this man he hadn’t even known for a day ago told him that he could.

“Well, I guess? It pays my bills, I’ve got at least some use for my language degree, it’s okay. And it’s not too far away from my family, so I can come here at some weekends; to see them, help a little with the trees, and just to enjoy this place.”

“Yeah, I understand that – I’ve been here for not even an hour but I already feel like I don’t want to leave again. It just seems to be like a little piece of paradise.”

Ermal continued to look at him, curious, and smiled again, more with his eyes than his lips now. “Pieces of paradise, I like this. And I totally get what you mean; it’s just so _peaceful_ here, and so very inspiring.”

“Inspiring?”, and Fabrizio wanted to hear much more about this, about what Ermal might find inspiration for at this place, but right in this moment, the curly haired man rose to his feet, and extended his hand to help Fabrizio up too.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to my brother”, and after Fabrizio had released Ermal’s hand, a little slower than it would have been possible, he followed him down the hill; the movement of steps and a light wind causing the curls in Fabrizio’s line of view to dance rather enchanting lay, after the younger man had taken off his hat.

 

Once Fabrizio saw the young man sitting behind a wooden desk in the shade next to the cabin in the middle of the farm, he smiled at the strong family resemblance, and if Rinald was as surprised about Fabrizio’s rather not business like look as his brother had been, he didn’t show it. They sat down together to talk about a possible cooperation while Ermal went back towards the lemon trees, which probably was good for Fabrizio’s concentration, and he enjoyed the talk with the second Meta brother – Rinald seemed like a nice person, someone who cared just as much about fair wages and the environment as Fabrizio, and when the sun began to set behind the hills, they were ready to sign their contract. Fabrizio took another sip from his lemon ice tea, made by Rinald’s sister as he had explained, and a perfect proof of the amazing taste and quality of the lemons they grew, and then grabbed the offered pen to write his name next to Rinald’s. They smiled at each other, exchanged another handshake, and Fabrizio rose from his seat, a little awkwardly. When he still had planned to take a taxi from the train station to the farm, and had expected to be here not half as long as it now had been, he had thought about telling the taxi driver to just wait for him, or to come back later. But now, that option wasn’t possible anymore, and he considered calling a taxi, but that would take some time, time that he’d have to still hang around here.

“Do you mind if I stay around a little longer? I assume it will take some time for a taxi to get out here?”

Rinald smiled, “Of course you can stay, as long as you want, I mean, you practically own half of our lemons now anyways!”

They laughed together, before Rinald continued a little more serious: “Where do you need to go?”

Fabrizio tried to remember the name of the village in which he had booked himself a room, but then gave up to just show Rinald the reservation on his phone, who seemed to know the place.

“I can drive you there, that’s no problem at all! Though, wait, I’ve got an even better idea – Ermal is going in that direction, I’m sure he can just drop you off there!”

“That would be lovely”, Fabrizio said, and there was something in Rinald’s eyes now, something a little too seeing, that caused him to not quite meet them anymore.

“Yes, yes it would be. Come on, let’s just ask him!”

 

Together, Fabrizio and Rinald walked up another hill, towards where Ermal was carefully cutting a few dry branches off an old lemon tree, and he seemed so lost in his work that he only noticed them when they stood next to him. Ermal’s eyes went from one man to the other, to settle on his brother, and he looked at him all expecting, the hint of his eyebrows rising.

“And?”, Ermal asked, and Fabrizio only in that moment noticed what a straight face Rinald had put on until now, but finally, he brightly smiled at his brother.

“We’ve got a deal!”, and Rinald hadn’t quite finished this sentence when he already found himself in the arms of his brother, the two of them hugging happily, and Fabrizio turned a little to the side, because this moment felt to be a little too private to be watched.

Once they let go of each other, Ermal affectionately ruffled Rinald’s curls, and then turned to Fabrizio, joy still written all over his face.

“I’m so glad that this worked out! And I’m sure it will be a pleasant collaboration.”

“Oh yes, I think that too. It surely will be a pleasure to work together with your family.”

A moment passed by, a moment in which Ermal and Fabrizio were looking at each other, and then Rinald turned towards his brother.

“Ermal? Fabrizio wanted to ask you something.”

“Oh?”, Ermal looked at Fabrizio again, curiosity dancing in his eyes, and Fabrizio felt as if his brain had stopped working.

“Well, ähmm-“, and words were hard suddenly.

Rinald coughed, or better said, chuckled and disguised it badly, and then explained himself: “Fabrizio here needs a ride towards his hotel, and since it’s in your direction, I offered that you could give him a ride. You’ll do that, right, fratellino?”

“Of course, I can drive you there”, and the last rays of the evening sun were casting an interesting light, for it nearly looked as if Ermal was blushing.

“That’s really nice, thank you”, and neither Fabrizio nor Ermal noticed the way in which Rinald eyed them.

“I’ll leave you two then, have a good night. Fabrizio, it’s been a pleasure, and I’m looking forward to making business with you”, they exchanged a warm handshake and a short hug, “See you tomorrow, bro”, and Rinald mimicked Ermal’s earlier action, in the way he ruffled Ermal’s curls.

 

Rinald then left the two other men, and while he looked at Ermal’s profile from the side, Fabrizio remembered something.

“Ermal? You mentioned earlier that this place would be inspiring, can I be curious in which way it might be that?”

“Well, it’s inspiring in a lot of ways; my brother paints the most intriguing pictures on early mornings when the world is silent and the sun slowly starts banishing the mist between the trees, and my mom sometimes takes out her little poetry book when we’re all together in the cabin while it’s raining, starting without any warning and just for a few minutes, but then heavy enough as if it wanted to drown the whole valley. For me, it’s those days when the sun is shining so brightly that the earth all around seems to be warm, inviting one to walk on bare feet along the trees, and when I then take out my guitar, the words seem to flow so much easier than on late evenings in the city, you know?”

Fabrizio had silently nodded along to Ermal’s words, a warm feeling growing in his chest, and now, he couldn’t help but ask: “Your guitar? So you write songs?”

“I do”, Ermal bit his lip and then granted Fabrizio with a smile that nearly was shy, “Would you like to hear one?”

“I’d absolutely love to!”

“Okay”, and Ermal started walking down the hill with Fabrizio following him, but then took a turn, not going straight towards the cabin but deeper into the trees. “Just wait here, I’ll quickly get my guitar.”

A little confused, Fabrizio staid alone in the darkness, waiting, wondering why his heart might have started beating so fast suddenly. And just when he started to listen a little closer to the sounds that the night made, Ermal let truth follow to his words, he really was back rather quickly. In his arms, he carried not only a guitar but also a piece of fabric, a blanket probably, and he somehow also managed to balance a glass bottle, one that Fabrizio quickly took before it was in danger of escaping towards the ground. Ermal smiled gratefully, and then placed the blanket on the ground. He sat down on its left side, his back against an old tree, while he indicated for Fabrizio to join him.

“It’s one of my favourite places in the world here”, Ermal explained, his voice soft, “If you lay down at your back, you’re able to see the stars."

And indeed, Ermal was right – once Fabrizio had maneuvered himself into a halfway comfortable position, his arms crossed behind his head, he saw a myriad of stars shining above them, even the milky way visible, and only now did he realize how much he missed a view like this in the middle of Rome; where true darkness maybe could be found in people’s souls but never in the sky, and stars got swallowed by the greedy neon lights of the city.

“It’s beautiful”, Fabrizio whispered.

“Yes, absolutely beautiful”, Ermal agreed, and Fabrizio was too busy admiring the stars to notice how the other man absolutely wasn’t looking at them.

 

“Would you like to try our Limoncello?”

“Of course, Rinald mentioned it earlier, and if it’s half as good as the ice tea I’m going to love it.”

Ermal smiled, and then handed Fabrizio the bottle, “Sorry, I didn’t have a free hand for a glass anymore.”

“I don’t mind. And _glass_? Are you not going to have a drink with me?”

“I promised to drive you later, don’t you remember?”

“Of course I do. But still.. have one drink with me, and then we’ll just wait a little longer until we leave, okay?”

“Okay.”

And so, they drank some Limoncello together, Fabrizio discovering that it was way more than half as good as the ice tea, and after they had exchanged the bottle two or three times, Ermal picked up his guitar. His fingers danced over it, soft notes flying into the night, and when a gentle voice joined what had started to turn into a melody, Fabrizio felt himself to be in paradise even more than before.

_Rivoluzione con mani dentro a tasche vuote_  
_in cui il coraggio ritroverò_  
_Rivoluzione perché vivere non vuol dire_  
_morire lentamente_

_Come ogni volta sarò per te 2+2 5_  
_questo vuol dire che puoi vedermi come ti pare_  
_è inutile aspettare_  
_qualcosa che accenda in noi la voglia di reagire_

As beautiful as the stars certainly were, there was a sight that interested Fabrizio even more, so he sat up again, until he was facing Ermal, and could witness the gentle way in which he played the guitar, the lashes of his closed eyes fluttering against his cheeks, the hint of a smile that sometimes flew over his lips in between verses. 

The song ended, and Ermal’s eyes staid closed for another moment, until he finally looked at Fabrizio again, something that nearly might be called vulnerability in his gaze.

“What do you think?”

“I, I don’t quite know what to say”, and while Fabrizio searched for words, something in Ermal’s face fell.

“That bad, huh?”

“What?!? No, not at all, Ermal this, it truly was magnificent! I loved it, dearly.”

During those last words, Fabrizio looked into Ermal’s eyes, deeply, and then, after admiring how his whole face lit up with his smile, Fabrizio moved around on the blanket again, until he was sitting close to the other man’s side.

“Are you cold?”, Ermal asked, concern swinging along in his voice.

“No”, and it wasn’t a complete lie, because even though there were goosebumps at his skin, this hadn’t been the main reason why he shuffled closer to Ermal.

Ermal seemed to still see through him, and then, ignoring Fabrizio’s protests, he got out of his knitted cardigan and placed it around the other’s shoulders.

“Better?”

Even more than the warmth that the fabric provided, Fabrizio enjoyed the smell, and so he took a deep breath, before he nodded.

“Yes. Better. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome”, and now, it was Ermal’s time to sit a little closer, “Would you like to hear another song?”  
“It would be my pleasure.”

“Okay, let me think.. Yes, I’ve got an idea. Though I fear you won’t understand much?”

That only managed to spark his curiosity even more, and when Ermal started to sing again, a language that Fabrizio couldn’t understand, words with an unknown meaning that still found their way right to his heart, he rested his head on Ermal’s shoulder. They staid in that position long after the song ended, just listening to each other’s breath, feeling the warmth that their closeness offered, and when Ermal did finally move, it was to put his guitar away, right next to the blanket, and to then gently place an arm around Fabrizio’s shoulders.

 

It was another one of those moments that Fabrizio wished would never end, but when he felt Ermal shivering against his side, the cold of the night feelable through the cardigan he wore, he started to worry about the other man – even though it was summer, the temperatures sometimes could drop quite low here, and if there was one thing he didn’t want, it was for Ermal to catch a cold.

“Ermal? You’re freezing, we should go.”

The younger man uncurled his arm from around Fabrizio’s shoulders, not without a little sigh of regret, and then stood up, once again helping the other to his feet.

“Come on, I’ll show you to my car, I can put away my guitar later.”

“Your car?”

“Yes, you wanted me to drive you to your hotel?”

“Oh, true.. but Ermal? Didn’t you drink too much of that Limoncello to still be able to drive safely?”, and he made sure to look at Ermal from underneath his lashes, so he got the whole meaning of what he was saying. Which he did, judged by the smirk he tried to hide by biting his bottom lip.

“Now that you say it, I think you’re actually right. I shouldn’t drive anymore. Soo, do you want me to call you a taxi? I fear there only is one bed in the cabin. Though, if you wouldn’t mind sharing of course..”

Before Ermal could finish that sentence, Fabrizio’s hand grabbed the front of his shirt, and he pulled the curly haired man close until their noses nearly were touching. And then, he stopped, heavily breathing, his gaze searching an answer in Ermal’s eyes.

“Can I kiss you?”

Ermal didn’t answer in words, but with a bright smile instead, and then, by leaning in, his lips connecting with Fabrizio’s; gentle at first, softly exploring, then more heated, his fingers tightening in the chaos that was Fabri’s hair, while the older man’s hand slipped underneath his shirt. And noticed the goosebumps there, that seemed to be caused by not only his touch.

“Come on, we really should go inside”, and with an arm around Ermal’s shoulders and a kiss placed into his curls, Fabrizio walked with him to the cabin. 

 

Inside, there was a large table, some equipment, more things that Fabrizio could spare absolutely none of his attention to; not when Ermal opened the door to a second room and then walked backwards, his hands holding both of Fabrizio’s, until his legs hit the bed standing in the corner. 

“Come here”, and Fabrizio was oh so happy to obey; he leaned down to be able to kiss Ermal again, to bury his hands in soft curls, and to then witness how he laid back, Fabrizio following shortly after.

While they continued to kiss, sunkissed fingers once again slipped underneath Ermal’s shirt, the skin warmer now as they weren’t outside anymore, and he just was about to let his touch explore a little more when he felt Ermal freeze underneath him. Immediately, Fabrizio sat back, his eyes searching for Ermal’s; not a hint of an accusation in there, just a question.

“Ermal? Do you want to stop?”

“No, I don’t, just-”, and he looked down, at the blanket between them, “I don’t want to ruin a deal that my brother has worked for so hard, that my whole family has worked for so hard.”

“Hey, look at me”, fingers that were nothing but gentle now touched Ermal’s cheek, softly causing him to look up at Fabrizio, “This has nothing to do with my contract with Rinald. That was business, and now, this is private. I’m not a store owner here, and I don’t make business with your family, it’s just us, you and me, okay? Just Ermal and Fabri. And if you want to go on where we left, I’d be happy to do so, but if you’d rather stop, or go home, that’s also fine with me. Okay?"

“Yes, okay”, the smile shone all through Ermal’s voice, “I’d really like to continue”, and after he quickly shrugged out of his shirt, he threw his arms around Fabrizio to kiss him again.

Between kisses, Fabrizio suddenly giggled, and leaned close towards Ermal’s ear to whisper: “You still taste of lemons.”

“You too”, and while Ermal said that, Fabrizio softly bit his earlobe, causing the younger man to shudder, “I’ve called a lemon farm my home for years, but I don’t think that I’ve ever loved their taste more than tonight.”

At that, Fabrizio had to kiss Ermal’s lips again, tasting the hint of Limoncello still left in his mouth.

“I’m so glad that I chose to visit yours out of all the lemon farms”, Fabrizio whispered while Ermal’s fingers curiously opened the buttons of his shirt. 

“Me too”, and Ermal leaned closer to be able to kiss the other man’s chest, “I can show you around a little more in the morning?”

And there was a deeper question swinging underneath this one, a question that Fabrizio answered with a sincere smile, and his hands holding the younger man a little tighter – yes, he planned to still be there in the following morning, and he was. 

 

When the sun rose above the valley in the next morning, Fabrizio woke up with a softly sleeping man in his arms, a head of curls resting above his heart. And while his fingers started to draw mindless patterns on pale skin, Fabrizio smiled. Lemons might be on the best way to become his favourite fruits…

**Author's Note:**

> I'd be delighted if you left me a comment!! ❤️
> 
> The songs that Ermal sang are La Fame di Camilla's "Rivoluzione" and "Në doren tende", and I've got not much of a clue about actual lemon farms; I was more going for an aesthetic here ☺️
> 
> Oh, and just fyi, this story idea was born when I was looking trough the flyer of a supermarket and they had a fruit juice called smth with Moro 😅


End file.
